AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Deborah recently asked about the play August: Osage County, so now that I've finally written up some productions that are on the verge of closing I suppose it's a perfect time to turn to this much-lauded play by Tracy Letts, which promises to run for a decent stretch past Tony season.

August: Osage County, a three-act play that basically portrays a dysfunctional family, received some extremely positive reviews, including raves from Charles Isherwood of The New York Times, who called it "the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years." Then came the cavalcade of awards, including the Pulitzer and many Tony honors. But if you listen closely enough, you might hear some less enthusiastic appraisals amidst the chorus of praise. Friends of BAT have left the theater wondering "What's the big deal?" or gasping, "We couldn't believe how hammy it was!"

My feelings: The play is good and substantial, though not nearly as swell as you might think from all those honors. As has been noted in the Times and elsewhere, the family drama is rich with strains of Eugene O'Neill and Sam Shepard, among others. These are so apparent that one might suspect that the playwright said things like, "Okay, this is my O'Neill section" when working on the script. Even the play's characters recognize when they're playing out a truth-telling or secret-revealing scene.

I don't really have complaints about this type of grafting—and it was great to hear virtually the entire audience gasping together at the appropriate moments—but based on my one viewing of the play my main concern is that Letts just seems to stop at the hommagelevel. He doesn't seem to add much more, which leaves me feeling that the play, while accomplished, doesn't go far enough beyond evocation of the masters to announce the playwright as a master in his own right. So I'm actually less enthusiastic thinking about what Letts has accomplished with August: Osage County than I am about what he might do next. (And I do wonder whether this play is just one in a planned series of play, perhaps arranged by months.)

Something that did impress me about this production was how well it played to the rafters. When The Other Dave and I came to our half-price seats, located three rows from the back of the theater and quite far from the stage, we were downcast at the prospect of spending a few hours straining to hear what the actors were saying. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every word was intelligible where we were perched. And though I can understand why some attendees felt that the widely lauded star Deanna Dunagan did go over-the-top in imbuing her character with the characteristics of a venomous snake, I can attest that the characterization, while less than subtle, came through clearly in the nosebleed section. That is a sign of a top-notch and considerate technical production—and it's the kind of thing that helps many audience members leave the theater feeling that they've gotten their money's worth. In contrast, I can think of at least two recent productions that fell short of that level. As mentioned previously, the sound produced by the musicians in Sunday in the Park with George was too strong for many audience members in the upper level. And in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Top Girls, many lines were hard to discern in the upper level. (And I'm not just talking about the overlapping dialogue.) Critics including Ben Brantley of The New York Times liked Top Girls, but I think audience reaction would have been much more favorable if the words had been easier to follow.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

I was rooting for Broadway veteran (and all-around lighting design big shot) Ken Billington and Sunday in the Park with George to receive a Tony for Lighting Design because the lighting is so dang impressive, eliciting gasps from audience members from the very beginning. Not merely a technical feat, the creative lighting is like a character in the musical—very fitting, considering the extreme importance of light for the artists (George Seurat included) who are the musical's central characters.

As you might already know, Sunday in the Park will end its run on June 29, 2008. The production itself is very good, marrying Stephen Sondheim's trademark intelligence to strong performances from the likes of Daniel Evans, Jenna Russell, and good ol' Michael Cumpsty.

Discounted tickets (including rush tickets) have been available for a while, but go for centrally located seats and certainly be wary of upper-level seats on audience right. The sound of the musicians, who sit in a balcony on audience right, can be overwhelming in that zone, so in this case (having learned from Myra's advice) I'd recommend seats toward the back, not the front, of the section.

As of yesterday on Talkin' Broadway, the General Rush ticket policy is as follows:

Subject to availability, a limited number of tickets are sold at the box office, when it opens, on the day of the performance. The tickets are $26.25 each and 2 tickets are sold per person. The seats are usually located in the rear mezzanine.

Source (3:45)

WHERE WAS I? TONY 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

Once again, there's no need to locate me. Just take a shot at predicting the 2008 Tony winners!

As usual, anyone can play, leaving their guesses in the comments section, using a distinct moniker so nobody can be confused with the other players. Please post your final guesses by 6 pm EST on Sunday evening, June 15, 2008, and help me out by self-scoring.

A point goes to the best overall guesser(s); and a point goes to anyone who outscores me. I thought I was at a disadvantage because I hadn't seen a lot of the nominees, but it seems that many of the official voters have not done much better. Outrageous!

BEST PLAY
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

BEST MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
The Little Mermaid
Passing Strange

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County
Macbeth

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Cyrano de Bergerac
Boeing-Boeing
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
The 39 Steps

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
Gypsy
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Macbeth
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
The Little Mermaid

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
Macbeth
Rock 'n' Roll
The 39 Steps

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
In The Heights
Sunday in the Park with George
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Gypsy

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair